What Could've Been
by syddog07
Summary: Itachi Uchiha has allowed Kareiko Kusagano to remain with him as he travels, and she couldn't be happier. Naturally, things soon start to go awry, and she must confront her past including her feelings for Kakashi . In the end she must choose whether to do what would please Itachi, or to try to reconcile with Kakashi.
1. The Young Assassin

Kareiko and Kakashi had gone their separate ways for the evening, but Kareiko did not try to get any rest. Instead, she searched for any sign of Itachi. She thought that seeing him might knock some sense into her and ease her aching heart. Meeting with Kakashi had proved to be more difficult than she had assumed it would be. Instead of harboring her hatred, she found herself letting go and wishing for him to accept her again. She hated feeling this way, and she wanted to return to hating him. Itachi was her master now; she only existed to help him.

She scoured every inch of Konoha in search of Itachi or Kisame, but she found nothing. She was beginning to believe that they had simply used Konoha as a means of abandoning her. As she stopped only to catch her breath she suddenly caught a sense of chakra; it was Itachi's chakra! She hurriedly took off in the direction of the chakra, and eventually found the source. The two figures were shrouded in darkness, but Kareiko was certain it was Itachi and Kisame. As she approached, neither Itachi nor Kisame turned around to acknowledge her at first. She thought about letting Itachi know how happy she was to see him, and she thought about telling him about her meeting with Kakashi. She opened her mouth to start to speak, but she wouldn't get the chance.

"Kareiko," said Itachi sternly, "if you are going to spend time with Kakashi Hatake, then you should certainly be doing more to capture the Nine Tails."

"I don't really understand what you're trying to say, Itachi-sama."

Itachi looked at her with a fearsome glare, "The fact that you don't know what I am referring to is evidence that you weren't speaking with Kakashi about anything relevant to your mission."

Kisame was delighted and saw the opening to get a few insults of his own in.

"She sure is one big failure, Itachi-san. We probably should just get rid of her," he grinned as he started to let out a boisterous laugh. Kareiko wanted to fight back; she wanted to defend her actions. However, the more she thought about what to say, the more she realized she hadn't gotten any information out of Kakashi.

_Why did I even talk to him, then? _She tried to think of an answer that would make sense, but she could not. Her face grew sallow as she began to feel that she had disappointed Itachi greatly. She knew that she had to stay focused on helping him, and she committed that it would be her only goal. She had to forget about Kakashi and her past feelings for him, for it was the only way to ensure that Itachi would let her remain with him. She started to think of her speech that she would give Itachi to reassure him that she was trying to help him, but once again he interrupted her.

"Tomorrow you will try to get rid of Kakashi, and if you don't succeed," he took a pause as he turned away from Kareiko again, "I will intervene."

Kareiko was grateful that it was so dark outside, because she did not want Itachi to see the look of dismay on her face. She began to feel sick and uneasy as she tried to follow Itachi and Kisame to settle down for the night. She put her head in her hands and tried not to think about what tomorrow would bring. She did not want to sleep, because she was certain she would have horrific nightmares. She tried to remain awake until she could no longer; she eventually dozed off and entered into a heavy slumber.

She began to dream, not of a nightmare, but of her family. She dreamed of her father and mother, and mostly of her baby sister. She saw them happy and content as they all sat together in a field of trees. Her father was sitting proudly as her mother held and caressed Lui. Kareiko could also see herself, as a child, running happily through the tall blades of grass. It was nothing like her actual childhood, but more like what she had hoped to have experienced. She smiled in her sleep as the wonderful dream continued to flood her mind with pleasant thoughts, and she remained that way for the entire night.

She was rudely awakened by Kisame kicking her side the next morning.

"Hey, girly! We don't have all day here," Kisame said in annoyance. Itachi was standing by his side, also looking quite irritated. Kareiko immediately leapt up and tried to shake her grogginess. She attempted to look attentive and waited for Itachi's instructions.

"Kareiko," said Itachi as Kareiko waited expectantly for her mission, "today you will remain here while Kisame and I tend to things."

Kareiko's face sank; she had hoped Itachi would be entrusting her with some important task, not telling her to stay back. She thought it better to not object, however, and she kept her mouth quiet.

"Kisame and I are going now," said Itachi as they quickly darted away. Kareiko had wanted to ask so many questions, but she was in some ways thankful that Itachi hadn't given her the chance. Her thoughts went back to what Itachi had said the day before, about Kakashi. She could only assume that what was happening today was somehow due to that. She looked down at her feet and kicked the dirt with her left foot.

"What the hell am I supposed to do now?" she thought aloud. She hadn't been so alone since her childhood, and she realized she didn't like the feeling. She huffed and plopped down on the ground in frustration. Itachi had told her to remain there, but for some reason she desired to go see Kakashi again. Kareiko wasn't stupid, and she knew that seeing him would most likely be the last thing that Itachi would want her to do; she couldn't deny her own feelings, though. The more she tried to explain her actions with Kakashi, the more certain she became that she still had some affection for him in her heart. She made the choice to see Kakashi, and that Itachi would never need to know. She would simply ask Kakashi to accompany her to a location that was close to where Itachi had told her to remain. Kareiko giggled at the thought of her own "brilliant" plan as she hopped up from the ground and headed towards Konoha. As she went, she thought only about how happy seeing Kakashi would make her; she seemed to forget all about Itachi and Kisame for those few minutes.

In fact, she seemed to have forgotten about everything in the real world, including the figure that lurked a few yards behind her. The unknown individual had been following her for some time now, but Kareiko's senses seemed to be too clouded by her thoughts of happiness. Kareiko continued onward, and finally reached the Hidden Leaf. She wasn't exactly sure where she could find Kakashi, and suddenly realized that she hadn't thought her plan through that far. She smacked her forehead in anger. How could she have been so ignorant? As she tried to think of where she could find Kakashi, the figure had ceased following her for a moment. It was possible that the person could not enter the village.

Kareiko finally came to the conclusion that she would simply have to ask the villagers for information about where she could find Kakashi; she'd just play up her charm and get the information out of others (because that had obviously worked so well for her thus far). She started to approach an old woman who was walking with a young girl.

"Excuse me, miss!" said Kareiko as she approached the woman. The woman turned around to see Kareiko running toward her. Kareiko truly had no people skills, and thus she decided once again to take a very direct approach to getting what she wanted. "Hey! Where can I find Kakashi Hatake?" Kareiko asked as the woman stared at her, confused. It was soon apparent that this woman wasn't sure what Kareiko was asking, and that she was becoming more nervous by the minute. Kareiko was becoming frustrated and started to ask the woman again when she heard another voice behind her.

"What do you want with Kakashi-sensei?" asked the voice, which Kareiko could now see belonged to a girl, who was a bit younger than Kareiko. The girl had a very sweet disposition, largely in part because of her rose colored hair and young face, but she seemed very suspicious of Kareiko. The girl put her hands on her hips and eyed Kareiko.

"Sensei, hmm? Kakashi didn't tell me that he had another student besides Naruto," said Kareiko as she directed her attention from the old woman to the girl.

The girl seemed to have slightly lowered her guard, "How do you know Kakashi?"

"What a good student, you are," said Kareiko as she flashed a big smile, "you certainly are cautious and protective of your sensei. You don't need to worry, though. I'm a friend of his." Kareiko kept her smile as she looked the girl in the eyes; she hoped to clear any doubts that this girl may have of her.

The girl was not easily duped, "Why don't you know where he would be, then?"

"Well, we only recently got together again. I was so busy catching up that I didn't think to ask where he lived," Kareiko tried to contain her nervous laughter.

"That all sounds really convenient…" the girl continued to look Kareiko over uncertainly.

Kareiko tried to turn the conversation around quickly, "What's your name, darling?"

The girl paused for a moment, but then answered "Sakura Haruno."

"Well, Sakura Haruno, why don't you just escort me to wherever Kakashi is? Then you can make certain that I'm telling you the truth." Kareiko thought that this would put Sakura at ease. Sakura's eyes clearly showed that she was thinking very critically about what to say to Kareiko.

"That sounds alright," she said as she seemed to have conceded, "but I want to know your name as well."

"I'm Kareiko Kusagano, Sakura-chan." Kareiko smiled once again, and she was very pleased when Sakura offered a smile back. The two girls walked down the street, Sakura leading the way to Kakashi. As they walked along, Kareiko noticed that she sensed something odd about her companion. The girl seemed so young, but also as if she was being tormented by something deep inside her heart. It was a feeling that was unmistakably familiar to Kareiko, and she wondered what sort of things Sakura had experienced to make her feel that way. She tried not to delve too deeply into these sorts of ideas and tried to turn her thoughts to Kakashi. However, she found it very difficult to focus on reminiscing due to something that was plaguing her; for whatever reason, Sakura had reminded Kareiko of her younger sister.

As the two walked along the road, Kareiko looked to Sakura's face. Her expression was one of deep thought and worry. The thoughts Kareiko was trying to repress had surfaced again, and she found that at this point she had to address them.

"Sakura-chan," said Kareiko softly, "is something the matter?" Sakura had been caught off guard by Kareiko's directness and stopped walking.

"I don't know who you are, but it's not polite to pry into someone you just met's business." Sakura resumed walking, this time at a more hastened pace.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. You just sort of reminded me of someone close to me. Your expression reminded me of her." Kareiko offered no other explanation, for she and Sakura had reached the building that must have been where Kakashi lived.

"Third door on the left. Just knock, and Kakashi-sensei should answer you." Sakura turned her back on Kareiko as she started to leave, but Kareiko reached out her arm to grab her. Kareiko had finally sensed the shift in the air; another person's chakra was steadily rising. Before Kareiko could pull Sakura away, a kunai with an exploding seal attached to it went off next to her. Sakura was thrown back as she let out a scream of pain. It hadn't been enough to incapacitate her, but Kareiko was certain that it dealt some damage.

Kareiko looked around quickly as she ran to Sakura's side, "Come on out, then! Stop messing with this girl and fight me directly!" Kareiko checked over Sakura as she also tried to be aware of what was happening around her. Sakura seemed to have only sustained minor injuries, and Kareiko knew it was best if Sakura got out of there.

"Sakura-chan, if you can manage to please go get Kakashi," Kareiko helped Sakura to her feet.

"Right, thanks," said Sakura as she headed off to get Kakashi. She was still unsure of what had just happened, but she did know that Kareiko seemed to have tried to protect her; she thought that Kareiko must not have been an enemy after all. As Sakura started to run off, a swift sound of a shuriken being thrown followed.

"Oh no you don't!" said Kareiko as she deflected the shuriken with one of her own.

As Sakura disappeared to retrieve Kakashi, Kareiko realized she was now essentially alone with an unknown threat; she tried not to let her fear show through.

"Now it's just you and me. C'mon out and make this a fair fight," said Kareiko with false confidence. She was surprised by the abrupt response she received.

"As if you deserve that, you traitor." The voice was unfeeling, but still sounded as if it came from someone who was far too young to be so heartless.

Kareiko quickly made a realization, "You called me a traitor. That can only mean that you're a member of the Kusagano clan who's been sent to kill me." Kareiko reached to her pouch to ensure that she had her cards at the ready.

A small figure stepped forward, "It has been decided that you need to be taken care of, Kareiko Kusagano. You have abandoned your clan, and it is my job to end your life." The figure became clearer, and Kareiko realized that the assassin was a young girl; she realized this girl was none other than her younger sister, Lui. She was petite and rail-thin. She had pale skin and dark hair, just like Kareiko. Her eyes, however, were deep and dark. She looked very childish, for her hair was pulled into two pig-tailed braids.

"Lui, why are you attacking me? I'm your sister!" Kareiko was shouting now, she had lost all of her composure. She hadn't even realized that Kakashi had finally come to help.

"You don't have the right to call us your family, or your clan," Lui grabbed two explosive kunai and started to throw them; Kareiko just watched in horror and was too stunned to react. She was stunned due to the fact that her sister was attacking her, but also that her sister had grown so much. She was hurting so deeply after coming to the realization of just how long she had been away from her village. It had been almost two years, and Lui was now 12 years old. Kareiko's mind was having difficulty processing all of this information, and her heart was having difficulty handling the emotions. She almost felt like she wanted Lui to get rid of her at this point, and she started to tremor.

Luckily, Kakashi stepped in to protect Kareiko from the kunai by shoving her out of the way; he had intervened and caused Kareiko to snap to her senses. She stood once again, and shook her head. While she was so thankful that Kakashi had come to help, she feared that he may hurt Lui in the process. Kareiko was also concerned about the attention that this sort of brawl would attract from people in the village; Lui seemed to have been thinking something along similar lines, and she started to flee. Lui had dropped smoke to aid in her escape and make it difficult for everyone else to see where she had gone. As she leapt away, Kareiko swiftly followed. Kareiko inferred that Lui had actually wanted Kareiko to be able to follow her.

"Kareiko, what are you doing?" shouted Kakashi after her, but she did not want him involved in this.

"Don't worry about me, Kakai-san! Tend to Sakura!" she said as she left. She hoped he would listen to her, because she truly didn't want Lui to end up getting hurt. Lui was an enemy, but she was also Kareiko's younger sister. Kareiko tailed Lui to a remote location near the mountains. It was clear that Lui had not wanted the others to pursue them. When she skidded to a halt, Kareiko stopped closely behind her. The two stood a few yards from one another, each of them just starting at the other. Kareiko's eyes were quizzical, but Lui's were full of hate.

Finally, Lui spoke, "You're even more of a disgrace to the Kusagano clan that I had thought."

"Is that what you think, Lui?" Kareiko's voice began to fill with agitation, "or is that what father told you to think?" Kareiko snarled an angry smirk; it had felt good to throw in a jab at her father.

"Don't speak of father, you wretch!" Lui was shouting at the top of her lungs, and her voice echoed. Kareiko was surprised by how Lui had lost her cool demeanor. It was the first time Lui had exhibited any action that showcased she was still a child.

"How can you just blindly follow whatever he tells you, Lui? He's just using you. Don't you understand that I was always just the scapegoat?" Kareiko was now yelling, as well.

"Father is dead, and the clan is failing," said Lui while her voice was straining, "and all of this happened because of you. You were cursed from the day you were born. You left your clan, you abandoned your responsibilities as the successor, and now you're nothing more than a filthy stain on the Kusagano name."

Kareiko started to grow more upset, "Lui, don't you understand that our father was a terrible person? He lied about everything! Why would I chose to abandon my family?!" She extended her arm to her sister, but she was halted by a shuriken that flew past her head. Her eyes grew wide as she looked at Lui in disbelief.

"Our clan was a noble breed, and our father was a wonderful man. You are the whore that has chosen a man and the Hidden Leaf over us," Lui said as she rushed towards Kareiko. She dealt a swift blow to Kareiko's left side and then her right; Lui was much more adept at taijutsu than Kareiko, and it was showing. Kareiko staggered as Lui darted behind her. Lui hit Kareiko again, this time near the back of her neck. The wind had been knocked from Kareiko's body, and for a few seconds she thought she might faint.

She concluded that she had to fight back; Lui was actually trying to hurt her, after all. She watched Lui's moves as she moved in for another attack. Before Lui could strike, Kareiko grabbed her wrist and flipped her to the ground. Lui was now pinned, and more than anything she was shocked that Kareiko had actually stopped her.

"Just quit fighting me!" screamed Kareiko as she struggled to keep Lui held down.

"As if I'd listen to any orders from a traitor like you!" Lui shouted as she wriggled her way free from Kareiko's grasp. As she jumped up, she unsheathed a small blade she had been holstering on her back. Lui swiped the blade and only nearly missed Kareiko's throat. Kareiko felt a tiny trickle of blood drip from her neck. She wiped the blood on her palm, and then stared at it in disbelief. Her little sister wanted to kill her, and had actually tried. It was so difficult to grasp the idea, and Kareiko wondered what she could possibly do in this situation. She couldn't use her ninjutsu on Lui, but she wasn't getting anywhere with taijutsu. She also couldn't just let herself be killed. Lui noticed that Kareiko was frozen in thought, and she took another swing with her blade.

Suddenly, Lui let out a scream and flew back. She had dropped her blade and was now holding her right hand with her left; her right hand was bleeding heavily. Everything had happened so quickly, and Kareiko still felt as if she was in some strange trance.

"Kareiko, I thought I told you to wait for us," said Itachi as he walked to Kareiko's side; he was the one who had thrown the shuriken at Lui.

"Itachi-sama…" Kareiko wasn't so sure that she was happy that Itachi had come to her aid. She was now very concerned that he would injure Lui further, or perhaps even kill her. Lui wasn't foolish, though, and thus she fled. Itachi started to go after her, but Kareiko grabbed firmly onto his cloak. He looked at her with a deathly glare, but she knew she couldn't let him get to Lui.

"Don't waste any more of your time on her," said Kareiko, "you've already wasted so much time saving me." Itachi jolted away from her, and said nothing. He just darted off towards their hideout. Kareiko followed, but she didn't know if Itachi even wanted her around any longer. She had brought him so many problems.

When they reached the hideout, Itachi still hadn't spoken to Kareiko. She had been feeling so low after the encounter with her sister, and she had hoped to find some comfort in being with Itachi. Though, he was only making her feel worse. His silence spoke volumes, and Kareiko was positive that he was extremely angry with her. Overwhelmed with emotions, she couldn't contain her feelings for him any longer.

"Itachi-sama," she said softly, "I don't want to upset you any further." She inhaled deeply. "And that is because I think that I love you." Itachi offered Kareiko no response, and she could feel her temperature rising. Her clan had condemned her, her sister was trying to assassinate her, and now her feelings of love were being thrown into the mix. She felt like her entire world was coming undone.


	2. Denial

"I love you!" she screamed as she stomped her foot and turned her eyes to the ground. Warm tears trickled down her cheeks and slowly fell to the floor. She had tried to contain herself, but she couldn't do it any longer. She was beginning to feel so confused, and she was longing for acceptance by Itachi. She wanted him to embrace her and understand how she felt. She thought about how much she hated crying, and she kept her head down as she tried to halt her tears. Itachi was still facing away from her, looking out the window towards the radiant moon. He remained silent for what seemed like years.

"No you don't," he said abruptly. Kareiko jerked her head quickly upward to look at him.

_Why is he doing this to me? Has everything meant nothing to him?_ She began to cry even harder despite her best efforts to stop altogether.

"But, I do! I love you so much," she spoke in between sobs, "I would do anything to make you happy, Itachi-sama." She clasped her hands together, and she tried to calm herself; it was no use, because there was no containing her feelings of helplessness and despair.

"No. You don't." Itachi was so cold; he hadn't even turned around to address Kareiko. She wasn't sure how to handle Itachi's refusal of her love. While she was heartbroken that he obviously didn't feel the same way, she was more hurt that he wasn't even acknowledging her devotion to him.

_No. I do love him. He will understand that, at least._ She decided to reaffirm her feelings to him, even if she believed it would anger him greatly.

"I do, Itachi-sama," she said with unwavering certainty. She looked at him, hoping that the intensity of her eyes would allow him to feel how serious she was. He turned his head and looked at her.

_It worked. He understands how I feel now. _She wiped her tears as Itachi continued to stare at her, his expression unchanged. She waited a moment, and she looked at him with her intense eyes. She hoped that he could physically feel how much she loved him; she hoped he would understand. He suddenly smiled, and she thought that she had successfully unearthed Itachi's softer side; she tried to reach out and grab for his hand.

"I hadn't realized you were such a foolish woman," he said as he smacked her hand away. Kareiko recoiled and rubbed her hand, which was aching; Itachi had smacked her hand with a great amount of force.

"I have no feelings for you, Kareiko. I have told you before that I only keep you around for your unique abilities," he started to walk away from her with his back still turned, "there is nothing more to it."

Kareiko tried to calm herself, but she couldn't hold everything inside any longer. She began to wail once again. Itachi refused to look at her as he headed for the door.

"If you are going to insist upon acting so foolish, then I will have to eliminate you. I have no use for an emotional child." He left the room immediately after finishing his sentence; he gave Kareiko no time to retort. She couldn't even manage to go after him, and her heart was aching more than it ever had. She thought of herself as a strong woman, but she couldn't handle all of the emotions that were surfacing. She fell to a heap on the floor as she continued to sob, and she started to feel like her childhood self once again. In between cries she could hear footsteps approaching the door, and she had honestly thought it may have been Itachi returning to apologize. She began to cry harder upon noticing that it was Kisame who had appeared at the door, not Itachi.

"Why don't you shut your trap, girly?" Kisame said as he leaned against the door frame. He seemed to be happy to see Kareiko in such a state, and she noticed he was smiling. She did not want to give him any more satisfaction in seeing her in such a way, thus she sat up and began to quiet herself. She also did not dignify his question with a response, which actually seemed to please him more.

"I just thought I should let you know that Itachi isn't ever going to love you."

_Like it's his job to come and tell me that. He really thinks he is something else_, thought Karieko as she continued to wipe moisture from her face.

"You've got Itachi-san really confused with some Prince Charming, huh? Do you even realize why he is in Akatsuki, girl?" Kisame suddenly knelt down and looked Kareiko directly in the eyes.

"He's in Akatsuki because he slaughtered his entire clan," said Kisame, his eyes glowing with delight. He said nothing else as he stood and exited the room, leaving Kareiko to rationalize everything that had just happened. She thought, for a moment, that she may have just remained there on the floor for the entire evening while indulging in self-pity. Then she came to the conclusion that she was not that type of woman; she was someone who wouldn't falter because of this. She jumped up and headed out the door after Kisame.

"I don't care!" she shouted down the hall as she ran towards Kisame. He looked backwards over his shoulder, confused.

"I don't care what you say happened," she panted as she caught up with Kisame and raised her head to look him straight in his eyes, "I still love Itachi-sama, no matter what you say he has done. I know everything I need to know about him." She smiled in such a beaming and happy way that it was evident that nothing Kisame said would be able to dampen her mood. He merely shrugged and continued to walk away.

"She certainly is one interesting girl," Kareiko could hear Kisame say to himself as he continued walking.

Itachi may have denied her love, but she still felt as if there was something between the two of them. It might have been completely moronic, but she felt like there was more to the story than anyone was telling her about Itachi. She yearned to hear everything straight from him, but she wasn't so sure that would ever happen. She could only hope that he was in denial rather than truly denying her affection. She might be delusional, but she felt happy. That was all that mattered to her right now.


	3. Truths

Itachi hadn't spoken to Kareiko for the entirety of the previous evening. While this truly wasn't out of the ordinary, Kareiko was still disheartened by it. She knew that Itachi was still very upset with her, but it was made more difficult by the fact that she couldn't speak to him about how he was feeling. She wanted to apologize for acting so childishly, but she sensed that this would only upset him further. Instead, she chose to make sure she was extremely obedient to him from now on. She began to think about all of the problems she had been causing him lately, and she started to wonder why he would even keep her around for any longer. She let out a deep sigh as she walked out of her room.

As she headed outside, she suddenly heard Itachi and Kisame talking. At first, she kept walking and vowed not to eavesdrop. Although, she then discovered her curiosity was far too great to miss out on such an opportunity. She snuck quietly to the outside of the door, which was slightly cracked, and pressed her ear to it. The voices were highly muffled, and she decided to lean a little closer to get a better listen. As soon as she moved, she realized that the two of them had already known she was there. Their voices stopped for a moment.

"Come in, Kareiko," said Itachi coolly, "this concerns you, as well." Kareiko made a distinguishable gulping sound as she tried to remain calm. She was very worried that Itachi had finally begun to see that she was more trouble than she was worth, and that he was finally going to get rid of her (literally or figuratively). She opened the door and stepped inside to see Itachi sitting on a window sill as Kisame stood next to him; both of them were staring at her as she entered the room slowly. She was sure that any minute now, Kisame would come charging at her with Samehada. She was very surprised when more than a moment passed and that wasn't the case.

"We're going to Konoha today, and we are confronting the Jinchuuriki. We are going to capture Naruto Uzumaki," said Itachi as he looked to Kareiko. Her eyes widened as she processed what Itachi had said. Capturing Naruto would certainly mean confronting Kakashi. There was no way for Kareiko to work around this situation. The time had come where Kakashi would learn that she was working with Itachi, and Itachi and Kakashi would surely engage in combat. Kareiko's heart felt as though it might escape her body through her throat. The walls of her throat tightened, and she could find no voice to speak the words she wanted to say. She had no clever plot; she simply nodded as her eyes lowered.

"Kareiko," said Itachi as he stepped down from the sill, "if we run into opposition, I fully expect you will handle it. Due to your interaction with him, I want you to trick Naruto into leaving the village to meet you," He exited the room and Kisame followed; Kareiko followed behind them, all the while her body shaking. Itachi was not asking her to do this, he was telling her. There was no point in trying to counter his plan, and thus she followed Itachi without complaint. Her heart wrestled with her mind; she couldn't believe that she was finally making decisions for herself, but that they somehow seemed like the wrong choices every time. As the three of them exited the building and headed for Konoha, she could feel her entire body still shaking.

"Ay, look at that! She's itching for a fight, Itachi-san!" exclaimed Kisame as they headed for Konoha. Kareiko's nervousness had been mistaken by eagerness by Kisame, but Kareiko was certain that Itachi knew she was upset. He simply smirked after Kisame's statement, hinting that he knew something more. The world seemed to be moving by quickly as Kareiko tried to keep up with Itachi and Kisame as they bounded through trees. Itachi stopped a few miles ahead in a dense patch of woods and jumped to the ground; Kisame followed.

"Kareiko, Kisame and I will wait for you here while you go and talk with Naruto. Get him to meet us nearby this location."

"I understand, Itachi-sama. I will do my best," said Kareiko as she left Itachi and Kisame behind in route for Konoha. She headed for the ramen shop, she was almost certain she would be able to find Naruto there. She tried to put a smile on her face, which was a struggle. She didn't want to alarm anyone, but she couldn't shake the notion that she was doing something horrible. She could feel herself becoming drenched in sweat as she neared and entered the ramen shop. Her heart beat faster as she looked inside; sure enough, she found Naruto sitting at the counter.

_Stick to the plan_, she told herself, _Itachi-sama needs you to do this_.

She put on a beaming smile, "Hey, Naruto! How lucky for me to meet you here."

"Huh," Naruto turned around with noodles still sticking out from the corners of his mouth, "oh, hi Kakashi-sensei's girlfriend." He slurped the remaining noodles into his mouth in one quick motion.

"Oh, do call me Kareiko, if you would," giggled Kareiko uneasily.

"Ok, Kakashi-sensei's girlfriend. What do you need me for anyway? Shouldn't you be with Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto looked at her quizzically, and she almost felt as if her cover was going to be blown at that very second. She was very glad that an idea quickly came to her.

"Well, you see, I've actually been hoping to find you without talking to Kakashi about it," she sat down next to him, trying to seem as genuine as possible.

Naruto eyed her suspiciously, "Why, are you up to something Kareiko-san?" Kareiko started to become flustered.

"No, no. I just want to prepare a special surprise for Kakashi. He is so special to me, after all."

"Sounds kind of gross. What sort of things would you need me for?"

"It's nothing like that. I just wanted your help in setting up a special spot to surprise Kakashi. I'd really love to have a date with him near the lake, and I want it to be a complete shock to him. I just wanted to make sure the place looked beautiful so that we could enjoy a picnic there." Kareiko batted her eye as she clasped her hands together.

Naruto jumped up from his seat, "I know the spot you're talking about…sounds like a mission to me! I can definitely handle that!"

Kareiko threw her arms around Naruto and embraced him tightly.

"Oh, thank you, Naruto-kun! You just make sure to be at that spot in a half hour. I will pick up Kakashi and take him there. Just make sure to have it beautiful by the time we get there."

"Alright! That will definitely put Kakashi-sensei in a good mood, and then he'll have to teach me all sorts of new techniques!"

Kareiko hugged Naruto once again before she left, and she tried to hold back her tears as she did so. She couldn't even let go of this boy, because she knew what she had just done. He seemed to sense her dismay.

"It's alright, Kareiko-san, I'll make sure you have a good date."

Kareiko removed her arms from around Naruto and smiled as she walked away; she'd done it. Now all that was left was to report back to Itachi and wait.

"It's done," she said starkly, "he is going to be by the lake a few meters from here in a half hour. I doubt he will tell anyone else where he's going."

Neither Itachi nor Kisame thanked her; the two of them hardly even acknowledged that she had spoken. Now, they waited in silence. Kareiko was experiencing the painful feelings of regret for the entire half hour; she wondered how much worse she would feel if anything actually happened to Naruto, and she hoped with all of her being that someone would stop Naruto from coming. She was so distracted that she didn't even notice that the half hour had already expired.

"The Jinchuuriki is up ahead, and luckily enough he is all alone," said Itachi as they neared their destination. Kareiko began to feel even worse; she didn't want young Naruto to be captured, but she wasn't sure what she could do. She knew that she wasn't strong enough to defend Naruto against both Kisame and Itachi, and she knew that turning against them would have dire consequences. What could she do, though? She couldn't let a young boy get hurt because she desired to be obedient to her master, could she?

_No, I can't do that. I have to come up with some way to protect Naruto_. She tried to run through different plans in her mind, but it all kept boiling down to the fact that she was going to have to fight Itachi. She supposed that this was the unfortunate fate she was always going to be subject to.

Itachi and Kisame stopped suddenly as they reached a small alcove near a lake. Kareiko stopped a bit short of them and skidded to a halt. A few feet in front of them stood Naruto, who was now looking at the men in horror; it was apparent that he had seen them before due to the look on his face.

"Kisame, fetch Naruto," said Itachi.

"Alright, I'll make sure that he can't get away from us this time." Kisame pulled Samehada to his side and readied it to attack.

Kareiko knew that it was time for her to take action; she quickly reached for one of her cards from her pouch and prepared to throw it at Kisame. She was stunned when Kisame was pushed back by a powerful attack. As Kisame recovered, she noticed that the man who had protected Naruto was Kakashi.

"Kakashi-sensei!" shouted Naruto as Kakashi bounded to his side. Kareiko noticed that Kakashi had lowered his mask to reveal his second eye and sharingan, which let her know that he was very serious. She also noticed that both of his eyes seemed to be searing right through her; it was a horrific feeling.

"Kareiko, how could you do this?!" Kakashi's voice was full of rage and disbelief.

"I'm-" Kareiko was cut off by Itachi before she could finish her apology to Kakashi.

"Kareiko calls me her master now, and she will do what I ask of her," said Itachi matter-of-factly.

"Looks like you've lost the girl, and now you're going to lose your life," said Kisame aggressively as he charged at Kakashi. The two exchanged blows, all while Kakashi dodged Samehada's slices. Kareiko couldn't bear to watch, and she felt tormented that Kakashi now knew the truth. She was largely responsible for this.

Itachi stepped forward and signaled for Kisame to stop. Kakashi hadn't been wounded by Kisame, but he seemed to have used up a large amount of energy already. Kisame returned to Itachi's side.

"I'm going to handle this quickly, Kisame. You focus on getting the boy." Kareiko immediately realized that the situation had become a great deal more critical now. Itachi could kill Kakashi, and she was quite certain that he would.

As Itachi's eyes changed and he prepared to attack Kakashi, Kareiko quickly hurled a card from her pouch at Kakashi.

"Sentinel Seal!" screamed Kareiko as her world went dark. Itachi had gone to attack Kakashi with his Mangekyo sharingan, but Kareiko had utilized a very unique technique. She used her seal on Kakashi so that she would absorb all of his damage for a short time; it was one of the most highly valued ninja arts of the Kusagano clan.

Kakashi could only watch as Kareiko slammed to the ground, unconscious. Itachi had quickly stopped his attack, but she had still suffered greatly from the brief time she was subject to his tsukiyomi; the attack had been meant for Kakashi, someone who possessed the sharingan, not Kareiko. Kakashi was certain that she was dead.

"Kisame, get Kareiko. This plan has failed," said Itachi as he started to flee. Kisame looked confused, and as if he wanted to continue fighting, but he did as Itachi said. He scooped up Kareiko and flew off. It had all happened so quickly, and both Kakashi and Naruto weren't sure what to do next.

"Why'd…why'd she protect you, Kakashi-sensei?" asked Naruto, his voice quivering as he spoke.

"I think she was trying to protect us both…" Kakashi had answered Naruto's question, but he wasn't even sure about the answer. Why would Kareiko try to help Itachi, but then foil everything just to save Kakashi? Naruto and Kakashi stood in silence; what had just happened had thrown them both.

Kareiko slowly opened her eyes; she still felt sharp pains running through her entire body. She also wasn't sure how long she had been out. She looked around, trying to get a sense of what had happened. She remembered using her sentinel seal, but she didn't remember anything after that point. Her eyes scanned the room, and then she noticed Itachi leaning against the window. She didn't see Kisame, and wondered if she and Itachi were actually alone.

"Kisame is out," said Itachi, as if he had read her mind. She wanted to be happy about this fact, but the serious tone of Itachi's voice gave her pause.

"You made a very stupid decision. You've made a lot of them recently." Itachi's voice was sterner than she had ever heard it, but she also sensed something else; she found herself imagining that it was concern.

"I want you to go, Kareiko." Itachi continued looking out the window as he spoke. She hated how he wouldn't even look at her as he was speaking about such a serious subject. It almost made her feel even worse. She struggled to find her strength as she tried to tell him that he was mistaken.

"But I don't want to leave, Itachi-sama! I promise that I will do so much better after this," she felt her tears and realized she was crying again. She knew it probably wasn't a good idea to be so worked up after just regaining consciousness, but she couldn't control her emotions.

"Go to Kakashi Hatake. Protect him, if you can. Just know that I will not stop doing what I wish to benefit you." Itachi spoke with such conviction, and it was maddening Kareiko even further. She sat up in an emotional fit.

"I don't want to go to him! I want to stay with you!" Her steady streams of tears had now turned to more like gushing rapids. She was becoming almost hysterical.

"I am telling you to go, and you should do so before Kisame returns. If he sees you, I'll allow him to fight you." Itachi never once turned around to look at Kareiko, he never tried to calm her down, and he never offered to help her stand. He just wanted her gone. Kareiko raised herself up very slowly, and managed to get on her feet. She stumbled off, still unable to fully function.

"I guess this is goodbye, Itachi-sama," said Kareiko as she tried to force her tears back into her eyes, "I do still love you. I hope that we can see each other again, someday."

And with that, she left Itachi behind. She headed for Konoha, not knowing what would happen once she got there. Kakashi had learned the truth about her, and she didn't know if he would even speak to her after what she had done. However, Itachi had given her a last command to go to Kakashi, and for some reason that was what she planned to do. She was going to visit Kakashi one final time.


	4. Goodbye

By the time that Kareiko made it to Kakashi's residence, it was nearly midnight. She hadn't been able to travel quickly due to her still present injuries. She was now extremely exhausted, and she wasn't even positive that Kakashi would be home. She laughed at herself realizing that she never quite thought her plans through, and then she cursed her emotions under her breath. She tried to catch her breath as she extended her hand to knock on the door, but she had already exhausted all of her strength to make it there. Unable to knock, she simply thrust her head and hands on the door, using it as her only support to help her remain standing.

_Well, I guess this is really it. I'm going to die right here on his doorstep, how typical_. Kareiko found herself laughing again, even though it caused her to ache even more. She suddenly heard a turning of the handle and a click of a mechanism; someone was opening the door. She couldn't manage to stand on her own, and as the door opened she fell into the person who had opened the door.

"Kareiko…" she heard Kakashi say, "you're alive." He had an air of relief in his voice, and Kareiko noticed that his body was extremely warm. His embrace was nothing like the cold reception she received from Itachi. Kakashi continued to hold her up, and she wondered how long they would stay that way.

"Kakai-san, I'm so very sorry," she said as she held onto his shirt. She felt him grip her more tightly as he started to lead her inside.

"It's alright for now, you're really injured. You just need to rest," he started to help lay her down, but she shook him away.

"I didn't come all of the way here to rest, Kakai-san. I came here to apologize to you."

"You already did, Kareiko. Just sit down and try to recover," he grabbed her arm and supported her weight as she looked as if she might fall over.

"No, I have to tell you that I am sorry that I was so angry with you for leaving me. All of these years, I blamed my poor situation on my bad luck. I blamed everything else around me, but I never took credit for my own actions. I rationalized everything I did by saying that it was because I was alone, and because I had no one to save me. I had believed that I was destined to a life of failure and unhappiness." Kareiko looked at Kakashi with remorse, and he remained silent to let her continue.

"I was a young child when we met, and I thought that somehow you could save me from everything. I envisioned you as my prince, and that we would get married, and that you'd whisk me away to Konoha. I was so naïve, and maybe that really hasn't changed that much," she took in a deep breath, "but I do have to know why you left me. I need to know why you never came back for me, Kakai-san." She said this with tears in her eyes, even though she had thought she had no more tears left to cry. Kakashi was caught off guard by her question, and his eyes gained a sad look.

"I'm sorry, Kareiko. I didn't choose to leave you, but I had to follow my orders. It was just so different back then, and you were so much younger than me…"

"So that's it, then?" Kakashi could hear a tinge of anger in her voice; he didn't want to upset her, but there was no other explanation he could offer.

"I don't know what else to say to you. It's stupid, but it is the absolute truth," he said as he tried his best to make her feel better. He was quite caught off guard when she started to chuckle.

"It is stupid. In fact, it's idiotic. But I can't blame you. Up until now I had been letting everyone else make my choices for me. I followed whatever they said blindly without giving anything a second thought." Her statement seemed to hit Kakashi in a very strange way, and he immediately changed his expression from one of sympathy to anger.

"Kareiko, if that is the truth then why do you choose to follow Itachi Uchiha?"

She looked at him, wide-eyed, "It's because Itachi-sama saved me from the tea house. More importantly, he was the first man to tell me to make my own choic-"

"Have you _been _with him?" Kakashi was trying to be subtle, but Kareiko had understood exactly what he was trying to hint at.

"What kind of question is that?" her face was beginning to redden, "I don't know, have you _been_ with any of your masters?" She gave a devilish smirk after she spoke. She was becoming more and more infuriated by the minute; she wasn't sure why he would have asked her such a thing.

Kakashi grabbed Kareiko's left arm by the wrist, "Do you love him, Kareiko? I'm asking you for a reason. I can't think of any other excuse as to why you'd be following someone like that."

She jerked her hand away, "So now you care? Now you've decided to become the protector I'd always dreamed of, and you want me to listen to every word of advice you give to me. Even though I have forgiven you, that doesn't make any of this any easier. You're worrying about things that you really have no right to be concerned with since you haven't had me in your mind for years. Besides, you don't have anything to worry about because Itachi-sama sent me away. He wants nothing to do with me anymore after I intervened during your fight." She rubbed her wrist gently, trying to take away the redness from where Kakashi had been holding it.

"I just want you to be happy, Kareiko. I don't want to see you hurt." Kakashi spoke with such sincerity, and it was obvious that he had a very heavy burden on his heart. Kareiko saw his sadness and walked closer towards him.

She put both of her hands to his cheeks, "I am going to be happy, Kakai-san," she looked at him with a sweet smile, "and that is part of the reason that I came to see you in the first place. I just wanted to spend one more night with you. I wanted us to be friends again, just like when we were Koko-kun and Kakai-san." She brushed his cheeks gently as she continued to gaze at him, and despite everything that had happened she was feeling joyous. She leaned in closer to him, and she could see that he was shocked. He clearly wasn't expecting Kareiko to offer him this kind of affection. She continued smiling as she started to touch the edges of his mask; she traced over them with her hands.

Kakashi seemed to be growing more and more uncomfortable, "Kareiko…what are you doing?"

"I just wanted to see you. I wanted to see your face one last time, Kakai-san." Kareiko's eyes seemed locked on Kakashi as she spoke, and her voice seemed to harbor a small amount of sorrow.

"Kareiko, I…" Kakashi was telling himself that he should stop her, but he then realized that deep down he truly didn't want to.

"I want to touch your face without this mask," she started to try to peel the mask down, "I want to see the real you."

Kareiko removed Kakashi's mask, and tears immediately began to roll down her face. She was overwhelmed by joy, but also by the fact that she knew this would be the last night she would be able to spend like this. She tried to contain herself, for she didn't want to alarm Kakashi; she just wanted to enjoy herself. She wiped away her tears, and neither she nor Kakashi uttered a word. Kareiko embraced Kakashi once again, and she finally gathered enough brashness to do what she had wanted to do since the start of the night; she leaned forward and placed her lips against his tenderly. They remained that way for several moments, neither of them wanting to pull away. Their love had transcended from mere friendship, and Kareiko was going to find that it would be all the more difficult to say goodbye.

While she lay with her first friend, she reminisced about their first meeting of chance. She thought about how perfect everything felt, and she wondered if things would have worked out differently if Kakashi had never left her alone in her village so long ago. She had thought this same thing countless times before, but she was finally made aware that Kakashi had also been thinking the same thing. These thoughts soon turned to dreams as it grew even later and an unsuspecting Kakashi fell asleep sometime just before sunrise.

Kareiko gently planted a kiss on his forehead as she headed off to execute the final phase of her plan. She ventured off to try to find Sasuke, and she resolved that she had to bring him back. She would ease Kakashi's burden and ensure that Sasuke abandoned his ideas of killing Itachi. As the sun began to rise, she started to think about what Kakashi would do once he noticed she was gone; she wondered if he would miss her, and she wondered how their lives may have turned out together. Tears flew off her face as she raced onward to meet Sasuke. There was no turning back or changing things now; she'd said her goodbyes.


	5. Death

Perhaps it was for the sake of nostalgia, or maybe the fact that she might never see the place again, but Kareiko decided to visit her village one last time. Lui had said that the clan had fallen apart, and Kareiko was curious. When she approached the village, she found only charred remains of where the beautiful buildings once stood; the village looked like it had been burned to the ground. She had always thought of the people in her clan as horrible, but she had thought the village was actually a beautiful place. It was a shock to see it in such a dismantled state, and Kareiko began to explore the abandoned village further. She called out, but no one responded. Apparently, Lui had been speaking the truth. The village had failed miserably. A thought popped into Kareiko's head; she wondered if her favorite spot near the edge of the village was also ruined. She started to run, all the while hoping to find it untouched.

Sure enough, the same stumps that she and Kakashi had sat on so many times before were still there. The spot still looked serene as ever, and patches of sunlight shown through the trees. Kareiko bared a smile and a groan escaped her lips. She lowered herself and sat on the ground next to the stump she'd used to sit on. From her pouch, she removed a large scroll and a calligraphy brush. She had gotten everything prepared; now all that was left was to perform the summoning. As the sunrise casted strange shadows, Kareiko noticed one of a figure behind her. She didn't stop her writing on her scroll, and she didn't turn around to acknowledge the individual.

"So, you're using that forbidden jutsu? You're actually summoning Shadow," said Lui's familiar voice, "you must really be desperate." Kareiko paused momentarily and sighed; she turned her head to Lui.

"I know you want to kill me, but it should be obvious to you that I won't be lasting much longer anyhow." Her eyes moved away from her sister and returned to her work.

"It's my responsibility to end your life."

Kareiko turned around again, "I've got something that I have to do. If I'm not dead after all of this is over, I'll gladly turn myself over to you." She looked Lui deeply in the eyes as she spoke, and it was clear that she was being truthful. Lui turned for a moment, as if she was going to leave Kareiko in peace, but she stopped suddenly. She walked over and sat down, putting her back up against Kareiko's; it was the closest they had been without fighting in years, and it almost felt like they were sisters again.

"I take it you have seen the village?" asked Lui suddenly.

"Yeah, it's like a ghost town now. What the hell happened?" Kareiko couldn't see Lui, but she could feel Lui's back move as she took a deep breath. She assumed that Lui must be getting upset.

"Father went mad after you left, Kareiko. There wasn't anything that the rest of us in the clan could do when his health and mind started fleeting. Once he died there was a huge debate over who should be the successor," Lui pulled up a few blades of grass with her right hand and started to put them in a pile on the ground, "and the entire village was destroyed because of the fighting."

"I do honestly feel bad about that, Lui. You have to understand that I couldn't have done anything to stop it from happening, though. Father hated me. He sent me away to the tea house and told me never to return-"

"You say that I am a fool for blindly following father. However, you are willing to throw your life away over a man that abandoned you-"

"You've got it all wrong. I'm not throwing my life away over this, because my life was already over before any of this transpired. It's only now that I am starting to enjoy myself and life. I've found love, or at least some form of it, and I'm not going to let the people I love be tormented in such a way."

Lui stopped playing with the grass and crossed her arms, "So, you're in love? With who?"

"It's complicated," said Kareiko immediately.

Lui's demeanor quickly changed from tense to relaxed, "What's it like?"

"Love? I mean…I don't know." Kareiko wasn't certain that she could qualify her strange situation as being in love; the love generally had to be mutual for that to be true.

"Well, yeah," Lui took one finger and nervously twirled the end of one of her pigtails with it, "but I also wondered what _it_ was like."

Lui's brashness actually managed to stun Kareiko. She stopped writing and felt her face blush. "How? I mean, I don't know what you're talking about!" Kareiko was becoming extremely flustered.

"Well, it is my job to follow you. I followed you to Kakashi's house one evening, and you never left until early the next morning. I can only assume…"

Kareiko couldn't help but to start laughing uncontrollably; it was amusing for her to see Lui actually acting like a child her age instead of a heartless assassin.

"Uh, well forgive me for prying. My curiosity just got the better of me," said Lui as she cast her eyes to the ground in embarrassment. Even with her back to Kareiko, Lui still couldn't bear to look up and risk their eyes meeting.

Kareiko was smiling widely, "It's fine, Lui. You're just too young to talk about anything like that. Maybe one day we'll be able to talk about that sort of stuff." Kareiko was embarrassed, but she was also ecstatic that she and her younger sister actually seemed to be bonding. Maybe things wouldn't have to end tragically, after all.

Lui suddenly switched the direction of the conversation, "You should have stayed with Kakashi, Kareiko. I don't understand why you've chosen Itachi Uchiha over him."

"I didn't choose Itachi over him. In fact, I didn't choose either one of them."

"What do you mean?"

"I chose, instead, to help them both. That's why I'm going to bring Sasuke back to the Hidden Leaf."

Lui's face gained a puzzled look, "I don't understand what you're trying to do."

"I'm going to ease Kakashi and Itachi's pain at the same time. If I can't be with either of them, then I might as well choose to help each of them live a happier life. Sasuke can stop hunting his brother, Itachi, and Kakashi be reunited with his former student."

Lui finally stood and resumed walking away, "I just wish things could have ended differently."

"I couldn't have said it any better," said Kareiko as she let out a small chuckle. With that final statement, Lui left. Kareiko finished her work on the scroll, and she made a small incision in her left thumb. She smeared a line of blood across the scroll, and then pressed her hand to it. Her heart was racing; she wondered if her summon would even work.

Within a few short moments, she saw that it had worked. The shadow spirit, said to be an ancestor of the Kusagano clan, had in fact been summoned. The ominous figure had certainly been aptly named Shadow, for it was the only word that Kareiko could think of to describe it. It did not speak, so Kareiko assumed she should inform it of her wish. The summon spirit would surely not last long.

"I need to find someone," she said hesitantly, "someone named Sasuke Uchiha." The summoned spirit said nothing, but Kareiko suddenly felt a jolt rush through her entire body. It was so intense that she fell to her knees. The pain was extreme, but she soon noticed she now had a vision running through her mind. It was a vision of a boy, who was a bit younger than Kareiko. This boy looked a great deal like Itachi, and she was now positive that it must have been Sasuke. Her summon had shown her the answer to her question, and it disappeared almost as quickly as it came. Kareiko's pain did not leave, however. She was left with the terrible stinging, and she realized that this must have been one of the negative side effects of summing Shadow. It was most likely the reason this technique was a forbidden jutsu. She lay in a crumpled heap on the ground for a minute or two, but then struggled to get to her feet. She had no time to waste; it was time for her to confront Sasuke.

She traveled as quickly as she could, determined to make it to Sasuke before she lost every bit of her strength. Kareiko was finally getting closer to the place she had seen in her vision, and she tried to stop her heart from racing so heavily. She hadn't a clue what was going to happen, but she knew that she had to convince Sasuke to come back. She followed the landmarks from her vision, and soon enough she reached her destination. She was sure it was the same spot that Shadow had shown to her, but she did not see any sign of Sasuke. That was, until she heard a swift swishing sound; it was a large windmill style shuriken. Kareiko barely leapt over it and out of the way; it had clipped her left ankle slightly.

She looked around frantically, and she finally caught a glimpse of Sasuke; he did resemble Itachi, but Kareiko felt a strange sense of fear when she looked into his eyes. Itachi was supposed to be the murderous villain, but Kareiko was somehow more afraid of this boy than of Itachi. She was surprised when he directly addressed her.

"I don't know who you are, but trying to follow me was the biggest and last mistake you're ever going to make," he said with a smirk. He didn't even give Kareiko a chance to speak before he completed hand signs and executed a fireball jutsu. The flames were immense, and Kareiko could hardly evade them. She hadn't expected him to come at her so aggressively from the start, and she was regretting coming to see him in such a weakened state. She tried to catch her breath as the flames subsided.

"I'm Kareiko Kusagano!" she shouted quickly, "and I have come to tell you to return to Konoha and-"

"Well, Kareiko Kusagano, I am afraid that I can't do that." Sasuke pulled a long sword from its sheath after he finished speaking, and he began to approach Kareiko.

"I want you to stop coming after Itachi!" she screamed loudly, and it appeared that her statement had gotten his attention. He stopped suddenly and starred her down.

"How do you know about Itachi Uchiha?" Sasuke said bitterly.

"Itachi is, well was, my master-" Kareiko was interrupted by Sasuke appearing behind her. He quickly went to drive his sword into her back, but she managed to utilize her fire seal to stop him. He easily dodged her attack, however, and this let Kareiko know that she couldn't take this encounter lightly.

"I'm glad you revealed that to me before I killed you. I'm going to have you tell me where Itachi is."

"I will never tell you that, unless you agree not to kill him. You need to understand…" Kareiko stopped speaking as soon as she noticed Sasuke had already stopped standing still. She couldn't spot him, and she feared he was coming after her again. She started to reach for one of her cards, but she almost instantaneously felt Sasuke's presence behind her again.

"Too slow," he said as he cut a large gash into her upper right arm. She writhed backward in pain, offering Sasuke another chance to strike her; this time he cut her across her chest, and the pain she experienced was excruciating. She tried to ignore the sting as she tossed her card at Sasuke.

"Darkness seal!" she screamed. The world around them started to turn black, and she hoped that this would help to slow Sasuke down.

"You really are more idiotic than you look! A weak genjutsu like this won't have any effect on me," Sasuke was actually laughing now, "you'd think you would understand the sharingan better, you being Itachi's follower and all."

Kareiko could feel the blood seeping from her many wounds; her vision was starting blur. It was taking every ounce of strength she had left just to keep upright. Her knees bent inward toward one another, and her shoulders kept trying to push her forward. She swayed back and forth a few times as she tried to steady her breathing.

"You…you're wrong," she said faintly. She quickly regretted trying to speak, for it had taken so much strength to do so. It also didn't seem to do any good, because Sasuke just laughed at her once again.

"You are the one who is wrong. Itachi Uchiha is nothing but a murderous bastard," he said as he flicked his sword to rid it of Kareiko's blood, "Itachi Uchiha doesn't care about anyone. He killed his entire clan. He killed his family! Why would he give a damn about you?!" Sasuke had become even more enraged; he was so angry that he began to shake. Kareiko wanted to stop him, and she wanted him to know that he was wrong. She wanted him to understand why she was trying to save him, why Kakashi and everyone from the Hidden Leaf wanted to save him. She suddenly couldn't hold herself up any longer and fell swiftly to the ground. The dirt got in her eyes and made her vision even worse as she tried to see what Sasuke would do next.

"I'm not even going to finish you off," he said coldly as he put away his blade, "I am going to leave you here to wait for the Itachi that you love so much. If he is as you say he is, maybe he will come to your rescue before you bleed out." Kareiko wanted to shout out; she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs and tell Sasuke about his brother, but her mouth only gaped and expelled air when she tried to do so. She tried to lift herself, but her arms lay limply at her sides. She could now only see blurs, and she couldn't even tell that Sasuke had already left her. She began to panic as she felt herself losing more blood; she had to do something if she wanted to live.

_Is this it?_ She tried once more to lift herself up, but her arms and legs still wouldn't move. The wounds must have been far too substantial. _No, Itachi-sama will come for me! He will save me like he did before!_ She somehow found some strength buried deep inside her and started to shout.

"Itachi-sama, help me!" It was all she could do at this point to save herself. Her face once again plopped down to the ground as dirt got into her mouth; she could no longer even manage to spit it out. While she lay on the ground, her head turned to the side, she thought she could make out what seemed to be a pair of feet approaching her. As the figure drew nearer, she could see that the individual had started to bend down to her level. Her face grew hopeful as she saw that it was her beloved Itachi-sama. _He is here to rescue me_, she thought as she tried to smile.

She could feel Itachi's hands on her; he was lifting her up as he kneeled. He brought her close to him, and it appeared as if he were hugging her. Kareiko began to cry; she had never felt so serene. She had felt love when Kakashi had embraced her, but what she had always truly wanted was for Itachi to accept her. _He does care about me. He's not what they all think he is._ Kareiko's thoughts were disrupted by a sharp pain in her stomach; she had been stabbed with a kunai. Itachi's right hand held the kunai firmly in its grasp as he still held onto Kareiko with the left.

"Itachi-sama…" said Kareiko in what was almost a whisper. Itachi moved so that he was looking her in the eyes as he still held her up. He started to notice Kareiko's eyes fading. She was so shaken by what had happened, and her mind and senses were rapidly fleeting that she was completely unable to comprehend the gravity of the situation. She felt her life leaving her body as she remained in Itachi's arms; she knew she was going to die today.

As she took her last breaths, she contemplated what had happened. _Why did he kill me? Were they right all along?_ Her vision was now almost completely gone, and she could only see large, indistinguishable blobs of color. _No, he does care for me._ Kareiko thought she heard Itachi mutter something, but she couldn't be sure what it was. In her final moments she decided that Itachi had said "I'm sorry." She chose to have faith in the fact that Itachi was the man she'd thought he was; she believed he was the man she had fallen in love with. She would never truly know why Itachi had chosen to end her life, but she was going to keep believing in him. She couldn't bear another betrayal by a man she loved, and she chose to die with happiness and acceptance. Itachi laid her body gently to the ground and then rose to his feet. Two drops of water hit Kareiko's now lifeless face as he stood above her, and then it began to rain.

Kareiko's eyes lost their light, but her face still held a smile.


	6. Epilogue

***Author's Note: This is an additional chapter that I hadn't originally planned on including, but I thought it might add to the overall emotion/tone of the story. I am also unsure if I want to continue with a new story that would focus on Lui, or continue with the focus on another character. **

As Kareiko's lifeless body lay on the cold forest floor, Lui Kusagano watched over her from a distance. Lui had just witnessed the end of her sister's life, and she was oddly shaken by it. While she had been assigned to kill Kareiko herself, she had never imagined that she would feel this way after everything was done. She wondered if she could have actually gone through with it; she felt a tear trace down the side of her face, and she angrily wiped it away. She was a mix of emotions, and her calm, collected manner was now fading. She was feeling a sense of loss, but most of all she was feeling anger. She checked her surroundings to ensure that everyone else had left, and she slowly approached her sister's body. She noticed that she was still crying as she knelt down next to Kareiko.

Lui looked to Kareiko's eyes, and she felt an eerie sensation. She quickly closed Kareiko's eyelids; she couldn't look at those eyes for a moment longer. Kareiko's bright eyes had always been her signature feature, but now they seemed so dull. Lui started to break down, and she alternated between crying and screaming out to the sky. She cried out like a child who only wanted her sister to come back and offer her some comfort. Lui had now come to the realization that she was no hardened assassin; she was still only a child. She was a little girl whose heart was now breaking.

"Mother, Father…" she cried out as if she would actually receive a response. "What am I supposed to do now?" Everything she had known was no more, and her very identity was now in question. Capturing her sister had been her ultimate goal, and now she had lost even that. She laid her head on Kareiko's chest and cried. She somehow hoped that she would start to hear a heartbeat, and that everything could just go back to normal. When she was certain that this wasn't going to happen, Lui felt her emotions turned to anger once again. Her anger was all focused towards one person, Itachi Uchiha. Lui had only seen the end of the battle, and the only sight engrained in her mind was that of Itachi stabbing Kareiko with the kunai. She had known that Kareiko was going to confront Sasuke, but none of that mattered. The thought running through her head was that Itachi had killed her sister.

Lui stood and decided to go find the one person that she knew cared about her sister; she set off to find the man that she had hated for so long as an enemy from Konoha; she was going to see Kakashi Hatake. She left Kareiko's body behind, but she vowed to return and build her sister a grave. She couldn't let her sister be gone and forgotten, and she hoped that Kakashi would help her. She knew that he would have hostility towards her, but she had to at least inform him of Kareiko's death. She would honor her sister with that, at the very least.

It was very early in the morning, and Lui merely hoped that Kakashi would be home. She was skilled as a tracking ninja, but her skills weren't at their peak thanks to her emotional interference. As she headed for his home, she suddenly spotted him. He was alone, and Lui assumed he must be going off to look for Kareiko on his own. She had forgotten that Kareiko had abandoned him that previous evening. Lui swooped in and made certain he saw her land next to him. She wasn't risking anything by sneaking up on him. He quickly turned to look at her, and he was extremely caught off guard. Kakashi wasted no time in figuring out why Lui had approached him.

"What are you doing here?" he said as his usually calm voice was escalating in tone. Lui could tell he was on edge, and she was unsure of how to go about telling him about Kareiko. Her lack of social skills and compassion led her to simply blurt the information out.

"Kareiko is dead," said Lui snappily. She had realized that she sounded as if she didn't care, but in reality it was her way of trying to hold back her tears. Kakashi, unfortunately, had not perceived it in that way.

"What did you do?" Kakashi was visibly upset at this point, and Lui realized that the situation was becoming more than she had bargained for. She thought she should try to calm Kakashi.

"I did nothing. Itachi Uchiha is the one who is responsib-" Lui dodged the kunai that had been thrown at her. Kakashi was apparently in no mood to listen to Lui any longer.

"I saw you that night," said Kakashi as he approached Lui, "you tried to kill her. She told me about how you were trying to kill her for leaving the clan."

Lui was starting to panic, "I realize that, but I wasn't the one who killed her. You have to believe me!"

"I can't forgive you for what you've done." Kakashi looked down and clenched his fist tightly. His chakra started intensifying, and Lui could feel the air around him shifting; he was preparing to attack her. As the lightning formed at his hand, Lui had an epiphany. She did not move as Kakashi charged towards her. Instead, she closed her eyes and stretched her arms out on her sides.

"There's nothing I can do if you're going to label me the villain," Lui was starting to tremble, "Maybe I can finally understand what my sister had to go through for her entire life. If you're going to kill me, then I'll just have to accept my fate!" Lui took a deep breath and prepared for the pain, but she was shocked when she felt nothing. The sounds of the lightning crackled and faded away, and Kakashi stopped short of Lui. She opened her eyes to see that he hadn't gone through with his attack; her face was full of shock. She was even further aghast when he embraced her.

"If there's one thing I know for sure about Kareiko, it's that she would never want you to say things like that," said Kakashi as he released a stunned Lui. When he released her, she stumbled back a few paces. She shook herself to try and return to her senses. She had never believed that she could have felt so emotional. She turned to start walking away; she couldn't let herself have an emotional fit right here.

"Kareiko's body hasn't been buried. If you want to help me, then you can follow." Lui hurried off to the place where she'd left her sister's body, and she said nothing else to Kakashi. She didn't even look behind to see if he was following; she had to focus all of her strength on not starting to cry. When they arrived at the spot in the forest, Lui was taken aback when she saw that Kareiko's body was no longer there. All that remained was a few rocks piled atop of one another and some yellow flowers. It was almost like someone had started to make Kareiko a grave site.

Kakashi had followed Lui, "Where is she?"

"I don't know," Lui looked around once more, "I am positive that this is where I left her." She wondered who could have taken Kareiko. Even more, she wondered who would have stopped to make something such as a grave for her. Kakashi had also noticed the makeshift headstone, and he started to approach and kneel beside it. He picked up one of the flowers, and then quickly placed it back down. Lui continued to try to make sense of who could've moved Kareiko's body, but she could think of no one. _Unless, it could have been_, she thought for a moment that it might have been the very person who had killed Kareiko. She immediately erased the thought from her mind, and turned once again to leave.

"For what it is worth," she said as she started to leave Kakashi behind, "I told my sister that she should have stayed with you. You may have been an enemy of the village, but you were the only one who ever gave my sister genuine happiness." She left as quickly as she had spoken, and Kakashi was left alone. He was left with Lui's words, and Kareiko's death. He was left to wonder about what could've been if he and Kareiko had stayed together, and to wonder if she had really only ever loved him. He was left, also, to wonder about what Lui would do now that her family had been ripped apart. He wondered who had taken Kareiko, and why she had been killed. While he sat and contemplated these thoughts, the rain started again.


End file.
